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Kane receives praise for its ‘wonderful momentum’

By:

Ted Lutz

Staff Writer

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

KANE, PA

The head of the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship sees Kane as a leader for revitalizing its community.
“You have really wonderful momentum here,” Abbi Peters said during a public presentation earlier this month at a Kane Borough Council workshop. “You should pat yourself on the back.”
Peters is the managing director of the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship based in Sugar Grove.
The center serves the PA Wilds region, which includes 12 1/2 counties, including McKean and Elk.
Peters said her agency has created an updated “design guide” to help developers plan projects that will “protect the authentic character and lifestyle of the Pennsylvania Wilds.”
“It’s up to each community to move the principals forward and embrace them,” Peters said.
The Wilds Center director said the new amphitheater at the O.G. Crawford Park in Uptown Kane is “a shining example” of a project that conforms with the “design guide.”
Peters said Fraley Street— Kane’s main thoroughfare in the business district— is a quality “community focal point.”
She said many businesses on Fraley Street have taken advantage of grant programs to upgrade building facades.
Peters believes the development of new businesses in Kane in recent years is “really something to be proud of.”
According to Peters, Kane is at the forefront and is setting the example for other towns in the PA Wilds region.
“Because of what you’ve done, you’ve renewed hope and energy in other communities,” Peters said.
She believes Kane is “making the most” of his location as the “gateway” to the Allegheny National Forest and the Kinzua Bridge State Park.
Andrea Lanich, who along with her husband own the Laughing Owl Press on Fraley Street in Kane, also took part in the presentation at the council workshop.
Lanich suggested the creation of a “brand” for Kane.
“A Star In the Forest” and “The Black Cherry Capital of the World” have been two of the slogans connected to Kane.
The town also has been called “The Ice Box of Pennsylvania” due to its periodic frigid winter temperatures.
Tourism is a big factor for PA Wilds.
Thousands of visitors flock to the PA Wilds, which with 2.1 million acres of public land is larger than the Yellowstone National Park.
Peters called for residents and the business community to check out the “design guide” at the website PAWilds.com.
She said each chapter in the guide includes a “tool box” to guide in the development of projects.